Inclandestine
by Orithyea
Summary: AU. Vongola is a notorious mafia famiglia whose influence is spread across the globe. Tsuna is a vengeful but noble cop sent to work undercover in the group's Japanese branch. But when he finds out his cover isn't exactly hidden and is laden with the Vongola's unknown agenda, he finds himself in the centre of a war. 1827, plotdump/hiatus
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Inclandestine  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Genre:** Crime/Romance  
 **Summary:** AU. Vongola is a notorious mafia famiglia whose influence is spread across the globe. Tsuna is a vengeful but noble cop sent to work undercover in the group's Japanese branch. But when he finds out his cover isn't exactly hidden and is laden with the Vongola's unknown agenda, he finds himself in the centre of a war. 1827

 _I really, really want to write this, but at the moment I'm too busy (i.e., thesis) to do so and this is the most complex series I will be ever writing. I have three chapters up right now, but the status for now is: this is just a plotdump; hence, 'complete'._

* * *

 **i. prologue**

Tsuna exhaled slowly and gawked at the man with a large scar on his left cheek, legs on the desk as he slouched on his chair. They were in a modestly-sized room designed in the fifties' western aesthetic, and he was simply standing stiffly, awaiting the man's words. His sweat had started dropping as the man continued to bore his eyes on him.

He gulped. "Xanxus, uh, sir." Xanxus, according to the files he received, was the head of the Vongola's Japanese branch and finalised every decision made in the faction. If he wanted to succeed in his job, he needed Xanxus' approval. But with the way Xanxus was glaring at him, it seemed like he would fail the mission before it even started.

Xanxus lowered his feet. "You want to join Vongola?" His low voice made Tsuna tremble in terror, reminding him that, out of the other eight dangerous people he was doubly warned of, Xanxus was at the top of the hierarchy.

"Y-yes, sir." He had expected a lot of things: being thrown away once he was near the mansion, killed at first sight, and tortured and left as food for dogs. Because when it came to the vicious, bloody, and seemingly endless history of the Vongola, everything seemed to be possible. While he was frightened out of his wits when Reborn gave him the job, he was determined to offer any help he could in order to bring justice to these criminals.

What he did not expect was Xanxus to say, "Go outside. Yamamoto will brief you." When he didn't move due to surprise, Xanxus added, "Get the fuck out, scum."

"T-thank you so much, Xanxus sir." He hastily gave a deep bow and left the room. Outside, he released a long breath, finally free from Xanxus' suffocating aura. He looked at Yamamoto who was leaning on the wall just across the office. It was Yamamoto who caught him loitering outside the mansion early in the morning. While he was given the names and files of people to be aware about, the actual amount of information about any of them was small; the crimes of these special eight were not listed. But if they were high executives in the mafia famiglia, then it meant their list of crimes must be horridly long.

He mostly had to judge based on their appearances, and it was only Yamamoto who was smiling in the files Reborn gave him. He was grateful that Yamamoto was the one who first saw him, as he neither threatened him nor hurt him. Instead, he listened carefully to Tsuna's request and, without second thought, invited him in.

Tsuna tensed, embarrassed at being caught terrified of the person he should probably start calling boss. "Xanxus told me you will brief me, Yamamoto-san."

Yamamoto grinned and straightened his stance. "Then that means you're in. Awesome. By the way, you can drop the honorific." He started walking and Tsuna quickly ran to catch up. "There's nothing much to brief you, really," said Yamamoto. "New people are given small missions at the start and they're not allowed to do it alone. But since Xanxus specifically said my name, then that means we're partners for now. I'm looking forward to working with you, Tsuna."

"Likewise, Yamamoto." Tsuna hesitantly returned his smile, unsure how to feel about being partnered with one of Vongola's most dangerous men. On the other hand, it meant he would have several opportunities to observe him and get information to relay to Reborn. "Where are we going?" he asked as Yamamoto led him downstairs and into another room. Unlike Xanxus', the area's four walls were plated with metal and the floor was full of mechanical things Tsuna was not sure what kind of machine they were supposed to be.

"Mechanics' room," was the simple answer. "Shouichi? Spanner?" Tsuna recognised the names as the famiglia's top mechanics. As far as he knew, the two had not committed any crime by themselves, merely focusing on their work. However, it did not mean they weren't accomplices in any of them, and the very fact that they continued to work for Vongola left a bad taste in his mouth.

"What is it, Yamamoto?" asked Shouichi, who popped out from behind a metal cube wearing an orange jumpsuit clad with oil stains.

"This is Sawada Tsunayoshi, a new guy. We need a phone for him."

Tsuna blinked. "Oh, but I already have one."

Yamamoto turned to him and smiled. "This is Vongola." He shivered at the coldness, beginning to see how this man was able to become one of the most renowned criminal in the mafia world.

From underneath a table, Spanner came out, wearing the same outfit as Shouichi, and handed Yamamoto a black smart phone. Yamamoto clicked a few times before handing it to Tsuna, who thanked him. He inspected the device and saw nothing different in comparison to normal phones.

"I'm honestly not sure what's up with these phones, but they have nice security," offered Yamamoto. "I already put my contact number there, along with Shouichi and Spanner's."

"Don't bother messaging Spanner," said Shouichi. "He won't answer unless he's feeling whimsical. With that aside, I'm Irie Shouichi and this guy is Spanner." He jabbed his thumb in Spanner's direction. "Welcome to Vongola."

"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi." Tsuna lightly bowed. "Thank you so much, Irie-san, Spanner-san."

"Shouichi's fine and so is Spanner." Shouichi scrunched his nose as Spanner went back to the table without a word. "Did you need anything else?"

"Nah, thanks, guys. Let's go, Tsuna." Yamamoto nodded at the two and exited the room. "I'll introduce you to the others. We're not complete today, but there should be two or three guys here."

Before they entered what Tsuna assumed was the main living room of the mansion, he braced himself in preparation for the next monster he was about to meet. Xanxus aside, the seven others were known as the Vongola Guardians, a special group who served directly under the boss. He wasn't sure which boss Yamamoto was serving, but he assumed it was Xanxus if he was here.

In their ninth generation, the Vongola's overall boss was a man named Timoteo, yet the police force had nothing on him – neither his appearance nor his personality. Despite their continuously growing infamy, the Vongola's methods and internal structure were unknown. He wondered how Reborn managed to acquire the tiniest bit of information about the famiglia.

He inhaled deeply and followed Yamamoto into the grand living room. In the centre was a long, white sofa with a person sitting on it. _Lambo Bovino, youngest of the guardians at fifteen years old._ He scrutinised him, expecting Lambo to be wearing a black suit similar to his portrait in the files. Contrary to what he was thinking, Lambo wore khaki pants and a long-sleeved black polo with its white collar splattered with black. Only the two buttons in the middle portion were closed, revealing the upper portion of his chest and his lower abdomen.

"Takeshi-nii," greeted Lambo. "Who's this?"

"This is Sawada Tsunayoshi. He's new. This is Lambo Bovino. Oh, I almost forgot." Yamamoto looked at Tsuna. "The seven of us sleep here. Since I'm your partner and I can't allow you to do things on your own, I'll have to ask you to stay here, too, Tsuna, if that's okay with you."

Tsuna felt it wasn't a request, but rather an order. "I understand." Resigned, he attempted to get information and asked, "Seven of you?"

"You haven't heard of us seven?"

In spite of Yamamoto's friendly tone, Tsuna was confident he was being tested. "I'm afraid not," he said in a steady voice. "All I know is the Vongola's accomplishments, which was what made me want to join."

"I see." He was thankful when Yamamoto opted to sit besides Lambo and gestured for him to do the same, too, which he obliged. "The seven of us are called the Vongola Guardians –"

Lambo interrupted lazily, "Lame name if you ask me."

Yamamoto shrugged. "Well, you'll meet the others soon. Who else is here, Lambo?"

"I think octopus-head just came back."

"Who are you calling octopus-head, you stupid cow?"

All three heads turned in the direction of the voice. Tsuna stopped breathing at the sight. _Gokudera Hayato, the smartest out of all the guardians._ Like Yamamoto, Gokudera was in a suit but with a red shirt instead.

"Hayato, this is –"

"I know." Gokudera raised an eyebrow at Tsuna, who forced himself not to cower. If he wanted to stay long in this group, he needed to be in their good graces. "You don't look much, huh. Don't die too soon. It'll be a pain to clean up your body." Sneering, Gokudera left those words and the room.

Yamamoto rubbed the back of his head. "That was Gokudera Hayato. He and Lambo are part of the seven I talked about."

Lambo scoffed, "He seemed to be in a jolly mood, more so than usual."

"His mission today had something to do with cops, and you know how much he hates cops," said Yamamoto.

Lambo took out a piece of candy from his pocket and ate it. "I guess a lot of people here hate cops. Do you hate them too, Tsuna?"

Ignoring the way he was addressed with familiarity, the way the question was asked raised Tsuna's guard, almost as if Lambo was expecting something from him. He almost gagged at his own answer. "Of course I do."

"Really?" Lambo leant forward eagerly. "What happened?"

He knew this line of conversation would come up soon. Of course it was natural for criminals to hate the justice force. Reborn had prepared a back story for him, but he decided to trust his instinct and gamble. "I'd rather not tell."

When Lambo's face fell, Yamamoto patted Tsuna's shoulder. "That's good, Tsuna. Don't give out information freely." Pleased he managed to get out of the situation in a positive manner, Tsuna allowed himself to smile in satisfaction.

"Yare, yare, so smug already. Since you're new, hand me the remote control." Tsuna wanted to protest at the logic, but nonetheless stood up, crossed the room to the other sofa, and grabbed the remote. As he walked back, he tripped on the carpet and landed on his face. Lambo erupted in a fit of laughter and he heard Yamamoto mutter "ouch." When Tsuna finally regained his composure, he gave the remote to Lambo and sat back, hands covering his face. _Way to make an impression, Tsuna._

"Thanks, Dame-Tsuna." He froze and looked in panic at Lambo. _Why does he know that? Reborn told me the Vongola shouldn't know anything about me._ Lambo continued, "You're clumsy, so I'll call you that."

Yamamoto elbowed him. "Don't be so mean to Tsuna, Lambo."

"It's fine, right, Dame-Tsuna?"

It wasn't like he had a choice. "It's fine," he mumbled. He stared at Lambo's open palm in confusion.

"Give me your phone. I'll put my number in it since you'll be living with us." Tsuna did. "Yare, yare, you should feel special. I only ask the ladies for their numbers."

"If it's not an inconvenience to you, Tsuna, you can start moving your stuff tonight. I'll drive you, if you need it."

This was another order, not a choice. "I would appreciate that, Yamamoto. My house is far from here."

"Could you just text me your address? I'm horrible at remembering stuff." Laughing, Yamamoto stood up. "Well, Tsuna. That's that; there's nothing else to say. I'll see you tonight."

Standing up, Tsuna said, "Thank you. I'll see you later, Lambo-san."

Lambo didn't spare him a glance and kept his eyes on the television set. "Lambo's fine."

When Tsuna was a few kilometres away from the mansion, he whipped out his phone – the one he didn't receive from the mechanics – and sent Reborn a message.

 _I'm in._


	2. Chapter 2

**Note:** My hand slipped... Major changes in the prologue. Longer chapters soon. First upload derped.

* * *

 **ii**

"Living in the mansion and partnering. High security as expected." Tsuna glanced at Reborn as he sipped his coffee. They were in the corner of a café in Simon, the town where Tsuna lives.

"I'm honestly scared, Reborn." Looking down, Tsuna played with the straw in his glass and stared at the ripples his drink made. He allowed himself to tremble without suppression, believing he deserved a reward for not breaking down from fright in the Vongola Mansion. "But I don't regret taking this mission."

Reborn placed his cup down. "You gave up a lot for this revenge, Tsuna."

Tsuna spat, "They killed Dino-san, Reborn, and who knows how many thousands of others, too."

"We don't know that for sure."

"I don't understand." He gripped his cup holder, feeling confused and frustrated. "They killed the person who was your son and my brother, and that's all you ever say."

"We have no concrete evidence Dino died by Vongola's hands."

Tsuna hissed, "It's obviously them; you and I both know it, Reborn." When Reborn didn't say anything, he continued bitterly, "I will never back out. Heck, it's not like I even have a choice of backing out now. They'll kill me if I decide to get out of the famiglia." Exhaling slowly, he observed the other customers in the café, finding himself gaze fondly at how animated the other people were. He looked back to Reborn. "I joined and accepted this mission because I want to help in any way I can. I didn't want to be a bystander."

"I was never in favour of you joining the police force ever since you were young, Tsuna. I wanted you to have a normal life."

"That's kind of impossible, isn't it?" Reborn remained impassive, which made Tsuna become aware of how rude his words were. "I'm sorry. I'm not blaming you. I'm very grateful for you, Reborn. I owe you a lot. Sorry." He never knew who his parents were nor did he know how they looked, just that the then thirty-year-old Reborn adopted him when he was five years old.

Likewise, Dino had no knowledge of his blood family and had been under Reborn's care since he was a baby. Dino, ten at the time of Tsuna's arrival, happily accepted him into their small family, not losing a second in calling him his little brother, a grin often glued to his face as bright as sunshine. Dino was clumsy and overprotective, and Tsuna was sure he had the best brother in the world every time they clasped their hands while buying groceries, waiting for each other in school, or just simply seeing each other.

Reborn, however, was barely around due to work in Namimori, and the two brothers resorted to becoming independent quickly. But they never blamed him, because they were family and admired Reborn's job as a cop, capturing evil men and bringing them to justice – it was a child's fantasy, the kind where they imagine themselves as heroes conquering villains.

Then Dino was killed, and all Tsuna could feel was rage.

True to their word, the brothers didn't pursue the line of police work due to Reborn's stubborn refusal. But Dino's death was the last straw that made him disobey Reborn's words for the first time: dropping out of university in order to join the police academy.

When Tsuna entered his first year of university, Reborn moved to Namimori in order to be nearer his work place, leaving him and Dino who had begun his career as an English teacher in Simon High. After Dino's funeral, Reborn wanted to move back to their house, and while he desired for the company, Tsuna refused as it was a burden for him to keep coming back from one town to the next.

He entered the police academy before third year of university started, without so much as a note to Reborn. While Vongola's branch was in Namimori, he was forced to enrol in Simon for the reason he wanted to keep it a secret from Reborn. By the time Reborn found out, he was already enrolled and was faced with Tsuna's stubborn pride. Surprise washed him when Reborn didn't scold him as much as he expected and instead looked at him without emotion.

He wished Reborn became angry, because being unable to read him was more frightening.

Barely four months in his career and he was approached by Reborn, with the mission of infiltrating Vongola and gathering intel in order to sway their influence in Japan. He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh then. It was silly. Numerous years of being told not to join the police and now he was being given one of the most dangerous jobs with a low survival chance, especially because of his inexperience, by his adoptive father and recently turned boss.

He was the police's golden egg. It was only him who could make it possible: a boy who was barely visible and didn't stand out in society – someone whom the Vongola shouldn't be interested in and thus doesn't have much information, or wouldn't give a second glance. He couldn't even bring himself to be annoyed at the thought, because it was the chance he was waiting for.

A way to bring down Vongola.

Reborn didn't say anything personal about handing his son a high-risk job.

"They'll make you use guns. Remember our training."

"How could I?" He winced. Sawada Tsunayoshi's name disappeared entirely from the police's database. Instead, he was induced to six months of hellish training with Reborn, which included combat training and gun practice. The first time he touched a gun, he trembled immensely because he couldn't imagine himself ever using it. But then Reborn told him the mafia will never allow such vapid reasoning, and the spectre of Dino's dead body kept coming back to him every time he pulled the trigger.

The repulsive weapon that killed his brother was in his hands.

"You should go," said Reborn. Biting his lip, Tsuna saw the clock in the café point at six-thirty in the evening. After he packed, he had messaged Yamamoto to pick him up at seven. "Keep your phone with you at all times, even when sleeping, and make sure no one sees you use it. If they do, they will tamper with it. If it becomes too dangerous to meet up, we might have to rely on communicating through phone." He made to leave but paused at Reborn's next words:

"Don't lose yourself, Tsuna."

He merely nodded and left, immediately missing the café's cool air conditioning. Once he had stepped out, he removed his hoodie, succumbing to the heat of the summer night, and mulled as he walked back to his house.

Revenge wasn't all he thought about when he joined the police force; their – his and Dino's – dream lay flowing in the wind and he simply, desperately grabbed it again: fighting evil men and bringing them to justice. While he only spent four months as a cop stationed at a police box in Simon, he had immensely enjoyed it. Meeting new people and helping them made him feel relieve and happy.

Because that was what people should be doing, not killing humans to their whims as if they were broken toys which should be thrown out.

Did Reborn feel the same as him? He wondered and hoped Reborn felt happy being a cop, being with him and Dino, a family.

By the time he saw the shape of his house, there was a black car in front of it. Leaning on the car with hands in his pockets was Yamamoto, still wearing the same suit from their first meeting and waving a hand. "I just arrived, no worries."

"Sorry, I'll just get my bag and change." Tsuna said the last part hesitantly as he glanced at his casual clothes.

"You don't have to change, although we should probably get you a new suit tomorrow. Need help with the bags?" Tsuna felt a bit embarrassed because the suit he wore earlier in the mansion was an old one; Reborn had bought it for him seven years ago when they attended his colleagues' – Lal Mirch and Collonello's – wedding.

He shook his head. "I only have one bag." He took his time getting his bag and surrounded himself with memories and nostalgia, recalling vividly the loud footsteps of Dino whenever he came back from school, scampering as fast as he could to greet his little brother. Reborn's footsteps were the opposite; it was quiet like a cat with eyes set on his prey. Tsuna was fascinated then and always tried imitating Reborn. Reborn had smiled at him and ruffled his hair every time he succeeded in jumping him from behind in a hug and proceeding to crawl on to his back, all the while with Dino whining about leaving him out and engulfing the other two in a bear hug.

He abruptly stopped. _I will come back. I won't fail, Dino-san, Reborn._ He grabbed his olive duffel bag and sat in front of the car, bag on his lap, once Yamamoto unlocked the door.

"That's all you're bringing?"

With no idea what to bring to the wolves' den, Tsuna only brought basic necessities such as clothes, a clock, and the gold locket dangling on his neck. Deciding to test the waters, he nonchalantly answered, "I can always come back to get some stuff."

Yamamoto hummed and started the engine. Realising Yamamoto never affirmed anything, Tsuna gripped the strap of his bag firmly. "We're quite far. You can nap if you want to. You were up pretty early."

Tsuna refrained from saying, _So were you._ "I'm fine." With a criminal merely a foot away from him, he refused to completely put his guard down. Opting to stay quiet and observe his companion, he rested his elbow against the window and stared outside, watching as the place he called home for so many years pass by but narrowing his eyes to see Yamamoto's reflection.

He didn't need to worry about leading the conversation as Yamamoto started asking basic questions. "How old are you, Tsuna?"

 _Gathering information?_ "Twenty-two."

"Cool! Same as Hayato and me. There's also Chrome. She's a year younger than us and is one of the guardians. She's really quiet but nice."

 _Chrome Dokuro and Rokudo Mukuro. There's literally no information about those two._ "It's great to know I have people the same age as me. Have you guys been in Vongola long?"

Yamamoto gave him a short peek. "I've been around for a couple of years. Not sure about them, though."

Tsuna berated himself at being obvious that he was fishing for information. He decided to think of something else and let the tension calm down between them. Yamamoto seemed like a happy-go-lucky guy, but his guard was stubbornly high. "It's sad to leave Simon, but I'm excited to work with you guys."

"We are too. Wait until you meet everyone. It's been a while since we had a new guy stay at the mansion."

Who was able to survive living with seven monsters and what has happened to him? He refrained from asking, afraid he might spill out too much. Maybe if someone managed to live in and leave the mansion, then his chances of surviving can go higher. _What am I thinking? I said I won't fail._

They drifted in a silence which should have been comfortable if he wasn't rooted in a confined space with a criminal. He stared outside the window, seeing countless buildings blur past them. And then Yamamoto posed a dangerous question.

"You joined Vongola for its accomplishments, right? What specifically?"

Bloody murders. Brutal savagery. Playing with flesh and ripping souls and families apart. He mulled over his options. What was the best to say in front of the man who possibly committed all of those? He was beginning to feel his fury bubble up, threatening to explode and make him hit Yamamoto unconscious and drag him to a prison cell to be punished, yet he held it in. "You should know, right? You _are_ part of it." He returned instead.

Much to his surprise at the snark he released, Yamamoto laughed. "I like you, Tsuna. Let's work hard together."

He closed his eyes and shuddered.

-x-

As they stopped the car in front of the mansion's door, Yamamoto honked the car thrice. Tsuna looked at him in confusion but was answered when he saw a man in a suit with dirty blond hair and blue eyes running towards them from inside the mansion.

"Good evening, Yamamoto-dono, Sawada-dono."

He blinked not at the man already knowing who he was but at the incredibly formal way he was addressed. Yamamoto placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I tried making him stop being formal, but nothing so far works. Hey, Basil. Could you help Tsuna with his bag while I park the car?"

Basil opened the car and waited for Tsuna to hand over his bag. Sighing, he relented and stepped out of the car with Yamamoto saying, "I'll be back in a bit. This is Basil Bertesca. He'll show you your room," and driving off.

Tsuna gave himself the chance to analyse the five-story mansion now that he was no longer worried about being killed on the spot. The mansion towered him and not in the very least intimidated him than the men inside. The cream coating should have made the place appear more calming, but all he could see was the vibrant red curtains of the windows, reminding him of the pool of blood he was about to enter in. He accused the soft lull of the blowing wind for making him shiver.

The collection of antiques from varied eras inside gave rise to the opulent feel in the surroundings. He had been treading carefully as not to break anything when he jolted from Basil's voice as they went up to the third floor. "I hope you fared well in your drive, Sawada-dono."

He was pleased he finally met someone who seemed genuinely nice. "It was, Bertesca-san."

"I am not Japanese, Sawada-dono, so please use my first name. Also, there is no need to be formal with me."

Tsuna bit his lip at the hypocritical commentary. "Is Basil-kun, fine?" Basil nodded.

With the staircase in the middle, the third floor was divided into two long hallways. They turned to the left side which has two doors with great distance from one other on each wall, and Basil led him to the door nearest the staircase. "This is your room, Sawada-dono, and your key." He handed over a bronze key. "The one in front of yours is Chrome-dono's. Yamamoto-dono's is the one besides yours and Hibari-dono's is the one in front of his. Dinner will start soon, so I must ask you to unpack later instead."

Placing his bag on the lavish double bed covered with an orange wool blanket, he caressed the bed and frowned at how spacious the room was. It felt lonely, and imagining spending the coming days or weeks – how long will he even be here? – was suffocating. There was a large oak desk with a matching chair a couple of feet away from the bed, and an armoire across it. A maroon recliner sat at the corner of the room with a lampshade as its companion to its right, next to the full-length window closed with red curtains. He wasn't surprised when he found he has a personal shower room in it.

"The fourth and fifth floors are completely off limits. The second floor's east side has a large bath you may use. Lambo-dono takes a bath almost every day," said Basil. "The west side as you know is Xanxus-dono's office; you are forbidden to enter unless called. The first floor has the kitchen, dining place, and living room to the east and the mechanics' room and library to the west. All other places you may encounter that I have not mentioned are also off limits."

Stepping out of the room, Tsuna nodded at the heavy restrictions and Basil led him to the staircase once more, and he couldn't help but wonder how dinner will fare. "Are the others here? Yamamoto spoke of the guardians." The door Basil said was Chrome's opened, and a girl came out wearing a black suit and skirt with an indigo undershirt.

"Chrome-dono, good evening. I was not aware you were in your room. This is Sawada-dono, the person whom Yamamoto-dono spoke of. Sawada-dono, this is Dokuro Chrome."

Tsuna bowed. "Good evening, Dokuro-san."

"Kufufu, Chrome sounds prettier, you know. Don't hesitate to use it." He yelped at the sudden voice from behind him and grabbed onto Basil's arm once he spun around. "Rokudo Mukuro, just Mukuro is fine."

"Mukuro-dono. I must apologise. I was not aware –"

Mukuro ignored him and faced Tsuna instead. His indigo-coloured hair swayed with his head as he tilted it in favour of scrutinising Tsuna. "You are the new boy? You are scrawnier than I imagined." _What did Yamamoto even say about me?_ "To answer your question, only the freak isn't here yet, thankfully."

"F-freak?" Tsuna stepped back as Mukuro loomed over him.

"Hibari Kyouya, Sawada-san," said Chrome quietly. He inwardly released a sigh mixed with disappointment and relief. The most monstrous of all of them wasn't here yet, but he figured it was best to meet him amongst other people rather than alone.

He fell into step with Basil, refusing to walk with the two guardians. They passed by the living room and entered another hallway which landed them in the dining room. After seeing the other parts of the mansion, he wasn't even the least bit surprised at how costly the dining room was, what with its crystal clear chandelier above their heads taunting his wallet.

Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Lambo were already seated besides each other respectively, locked in an argument. A bountiful of dishes was scattered across the elongated table, which had five chairs on each side and a chair on both ends. There was a white-haired man to Lambo's left, and upon seeing the other four enter the room, he gave an earsplitting shout, "Sawada!" The three to his side stopped their fight and stared at the others.

In his portrait, Sasagawa Ryohei was frowning and his lips were in a tight line, staring straight ahead towards the camera. He had been unnerved at the scene, but now with Ryohei vigorously shaking him by the shoulders and shouting jovially, he thinks it's time to change his opinion of him. He could feel the man's strength every time he was shaken.

"A new guy, this is extremely awesome. I'm Sasagawa Ryohei, but you better call me Ryohei."

"Ryohei-nii, he hasn't even eaten and he looks like he's about to puke." Tsuna was grateful at Lambo's intervention. Perhaps Lambo was a better person that he initially thought.

"Whoops. Come sit, Sawada. You must be hungry. The chefs here are extremely good."

Tsuna was planning on sitting besides Basil, but was met with horrifying distress when Basil said, "I hope you enjoy your dinner, Sawada-dono. I must leave now for another appointment." He bowed and left the room, leaving him with no idea on how to interact with the six.

Sitting in front of Yamamoto seemed like the safest choice, but he wasn't sure if he should because Chrome and Mukuro already sat in front of Lambo and Ryohei, as if those seats were designated for them. He dithered and helplessly looked at Yamamoto, hoping he will say something.

"Hibari sits in front of Hayato, so you can sit across me, Tsuna."

"I see." This time, Tsuna was grateful Hibari wasn't actually here yet and the fact that the quiet Chrome was on his right side. He needed to prepare his heart to face him. "Would it be okay if I sit here? Isn't there someone who usually sits here?"

"Nope. He hates crowding, so he doesn't want to have anyone next to him," said Yamamoto. Were they playing a prank on him, or did they want him to die already? He paled at the possibilities of meeting the man. He must have looked extremely panicked because Yamamoto started laughing. "He won't hurt you. Hibari's a nice guy."

Ryohei chimed in. "Eat, Sawada, eat. Meat is good for the body."

"Thank you, Ryohei." He answered but waited for the others to begin, wondering what he should do. There were both chopsticks and western utensils on their set, and he stole a glance to see what the others were using; only Yamamoto and Ryohei were using chopsticks. Out of everyone, the two did look Japanese while the others seemed of either mixed blood or pure western blood. Since Vongola's origination was in Italy, he assumed that the others were of Italian descent.

But Chrome's appearance also looked that of an Asian, much to his puzzlement. He supposed it was only a form of preference and that he was thinking too much. Years in the mafia should enable them access to western traditions, either that or she must have been brought up there.

He finally began grabbing his own food and opted for the chopsticks, listening idly to the conversation and hoping to pick something new up. But they didn't allow this and placed him in the centre of their attention.

"So, Sawada, you think you can survive the mafia life?" Gokudera started aggressively.

It was a test. Attempting to appear unfettered, Tsuna didn't stop from eating despite his fingers slightly trembling. "Xanxus accepted me. What do you think?" Mukuro chuckled and Gokudera dropped his fork in surprise. Clearly annoyed, he grabbed Yamamoto's without asking and glared at him.

Yamamoto said, "I told you you'll like him."

"You broke Gokudera-shi, Dame-Tsuna."

"Stop talking, you stupid cow."

For being part of an infamous organisation, the group was rather rowdily childish. Tsuna watched in astonishment as the three started bickering between themselves; he turned to Chrome, glad there was a sane person amongst them, and then to Mukuro who was leering at him.

"What did you do prior to joining Vongola, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

He noticed the other three, while still bickering, had their ears turned to him. He and Reborn had talked about his back story, and both agreed completely lying was overall dangerous, so they laced the truth with lies. If it was possible, however, be as vague as possible. "I dropped out of university and," a shrug, "took a wrong turn, I suppose."

Mukuro hummed. "Wrong turn," he repeated. "Don't we all?"

"What did you take, Tsuna?" asked Yamamoto, completely halting the argument between the three of them. "If I went to one, I probably would take culinary."

So Yamamoto didn't take university. He did say he had been in Vongola for years. "I was in the liberal arts programme."

"You're probably extreme at drawing then," said Ryohei, a few grains of rice decorating his chin and cheeks.

Tsuna scratched his cheek. "Not really."

"Your parents must be supportive if they entered you into an arts course."

Perhaps it was a default commentary, seeing as his course wasn't exactly well-received, but he hastily increased his guard at the opportunity of extracting information from him. He decided on a simple, "I suppose," and warily looked at Ryohei. Despite the rambunctious and gullible aura he emitted, what made him a Vongola was clearly evident.

"Could've taken the time to reply to me." Gokudera was eying something from behind Tsuna. Curious, he turned around and quickly returned to his position, dreading what was about to happen next. The chair to his left scraping the floor heightened his apprehension.

But the person didn't sit down, instead, he bore his eyes on Tsuna who attempted to give any sort of reaction he could muster.

Hibari Kyouya was frightening in every sense of the word.

With the Vongola now complete, he was beginning to feel himself drown in the pool of anxiety he was swimming in. The collar of his shirt felt stifling, despite the fact it was nowhere near his neck. Hibari turned his eyes away and sat down, ignoring Gokudera who clicked his tongue at him. Without another word, he grabbed his chopsticks and piled food on his plate.

"This is Sawada Tsunayoshi, Hibari," said Yamamoto. "Tsuna, this is Hibari Kyouya."

"G-good evening, Hibari-san. It's nice to meet you," he finally mustered and offered a light bow.

Ryohei slung an arm around Lambo who spared him a lazy glance, as if used to his antics. "This is extremely great! We're complete!"

"Could you keep your voice down? I'm next to you, you know."

"Come on, Lambo, be more enthusiastic! This doesn't happen often."

"Yare, yare. I'm leaving. I prefer to keep my ears in working order." Lambo fidgeted as if to stand up, plate clean of food.

Ryohei firmly grabbed his arm and smiled. "Don't be like that. Hibari just came here, and we have to give Sawada a welcoming party."

"It's time for my bath."

"My dear Chrome and I will also be taking our leave. Someone's existence here is frankly poisonous." At Mukuro's words, Chrome took a last sip from her water and waited for him to stand up.

"Hibari's not poisonous, Mukuro, don't be like that." Yamamoto chided.

"Oya? I believe I didn't mention his name." When Yamamoto's mouth shaped in an "oh," Mukuro stood up and left, with Chrome immediately following him.

"Idiot, stop showing off how intelligent you are," said Gokudera, now done with eating and leaning on the backrest of his chair.

Yamamoto shrugged. "How was your day, Hibari?"

"Normal."

Tsuna wasn't sure how to react towards this confusing dinner. He was expecting a gloomy atmosphere and everyone to threaten him, not random bickering, shouting, and obvious distaste for one another to be thrown around.

"Are you free tomorrow? Maybe we could get Tsuna's suit together and help him start up." Tsuna choked as the crab meat he was chewing became stuck in his throat. Frantically grabbing for his glass of water, he thanked all the gods he could as the cold liquid trickled down his throat. He did not want to spend time with Hibari; Yamamoto was already a handful. He wanted time to get used to them, but maybe if he was with Yamamoto he will be safe.

The others watched in mild amusement as he started breathing slowly, regaining his lost composure. Lambo snorted and flicked a green pea to his direction. "You're really Dame-Tsuna, aren't you?" Lambo stood up and Ryohei instantly frowned at him. "It's past ten. I want to take a bath. You should too, Ryohei-nii, you smell. What did you even do today?" Ryohei indeed was releasing an odd odour.

Ryohei grabbed a handful of his suit and smelled it. "I met an old woman and accompanied her to the fish market. She needed help with her bags. I smell extreme." Tsuna was taken aback at his words. Why was a criminal willing to help an old woman? Were the Vongola even capable of doing good deeds? He subtly exhaled slowly, which Hibari noticed. He hoped Hibari would attribute it to his early, crabby screw up.

"Extremely gross." Lambo scrunched his nose. "Whatever, I'm going."

"Wait, I'll come with you." Ryohei rushed off as Lambo headed out of the room.

"I suppose Tsuna and I will call it a day too. He's probably had a long day." Yamamoto looked at their empty plates and Tsuna nodded, suddenly feeling exhausted. Everything had happened too fast: entering the Vongola, leaving his home – leaving Reborn. "Unless you want to take a bath, too, Tsuna."

Tsuna shook his head. "I'll just use the shower in my room." He followed suit when Yamamoto stood up. With a bow, he said, "Good night, Hibari-san, Gokudera-san."

Yamamoto chimed in. "Hayato's my best friend, so you don't need to be polite with him."

Gokudera sputtered. "What kind of stupid logic is that? I'm not going to act buddy-buddy with this guy."

"How about a compromise? Gokudera-kun?" asked Yamamoto. Gokudera's lips twitched, obviously about to explode at the idiocy his friend was displaying.

Gokudera ran a hand through his hair and answered, "Whatever, just don't expect me to be friendly with him." Tsuna thought, _I wasn't really expecting that from anyone._ With a cooing sound, Yamamoto led the way back to their rooms, and Tsuna took the little time he had before completely leaving the dining room to look at Hibari once more, and he almost tripped at catching him looking back at him.

Before he entered his room, Yamamoto said, "We're not usually complete, so don't be surprised when some of us are missing during dinner, which by the way is every eight o'clock. Today was a bit delayed to accommodate the two of us arriving late. There's no fixed breakfast and lunch time since the others always wake up late or are not around, so feel free to go to the kitchen and grab anything or ask the chefs to make something."

Tsuna suppressed his mind from thinking of what the others could have possibly been doing in the time they were not in the mansion. "What are our plans for tomorrow?" he asked.

"I'm not good at planning; that's Hayato's stuff." Yamamoto scratched the back if his head. "But be prepared by eleven; we'll need to get you a new suit after lunch and we'll see from there. I just came back from a mission, so I'm a bit free lately. I'll ask Xanxus if there's stuff that you're allowed to handle, or I'll see if the others want our help. By the way, Tsuna." He offered his hand and grinned. "Welcome to Vongola."

He shook the offered hand and hoped his palm wasn't sweaty. Muttering good night, he entered and locked the room, his knees becoming jelly under the weight of the stress and paranoia he suffered today. From his bag, he took out his alarm clock and threw it on his bed along with his body, yielding to drowsiness and exhaustion. He'll review today's happenings before he heads out tomorrow with Yamamoto.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note:** A bit slow since we're setting things up. This is the longest chapter I've ever written, and I'm expecting the future ones to be even longer. Thank you for the kind words, Ann! :-)

* * *

 **iii**

It was past one in the morning and Lambo headed to Xanxus' office with his pyjamas on, a towel draped over his nape to catch the water droplets from landing on the floor. Gokudera will berate him again if someone slipped due to his carelessness. He already caused all of the guardians, except Hibari, to slip and skid through the hallways. It was probably mean of him, but he couldn't suppress the laughter he released as he saw the scene, despite Mukuro and Gokudera coming after his tail for a few days afterwards.

It was a nice sight to see them as normal humans.

Everyone was there by the time he arrived, standing in a neat line in front of Xanxus. He took his place beside Gokudera, who was nearest to the door and raised an eyebrow upon his entrance. "Why the fuck do your baths always take so long?"

"No lady likes a smelly man, Gokudera-shi." They were complete. Hibari and Mukuro coming back from their missions meant there were things that needed to be reported. He looked at Hibari, who was impatiently tapping his finger on his crossed arms, and at Mukuro, who was playing with his nails.

Xanxus' legs banging down on his desk quieted them. "Report."

"The lower factions are starting to become chaotic. About fifty men have defected and openly waged war against the upper echelon, mainly against Timoteo and his pals." Mukuro lazily waved his hand. "They were all useless anyway. It would be easy to wipe them off. Squalo is keeping an eye on the other executives. He thinks there's a traitor."

"Confirmed arrival of the Gospella Famiglia's boss in Japan. Their base is currently on the other end of Namimori," said Hibari. "He has started passing firearms to hoodlums and the yakuza." He gave Xanxus a bored look. "Gospella is hunting for the tenth generation's boss, and by that he meant you."

"So he believed the rumours of the tenth generation's existence? Rokudo, take care of them by tomorrow." Xanxus barked out a laugh. "And the lower scum in Vongola are out for my old man's blood."

"The Evocatore Famiglia is tightly looking after them," said Chrome.

"They should; it's their job."

"The Bovino Famiglia is being targeted. They think crushing the weapon source will weaken those in Italy," said Ryohei. Lambo froze. He didn't know Ryohei was asked to check on the Bovino.

"Yamamoto." Yamamoto straightened his back upon hearing his name. "Your plans for Sawada?"

"Well, I was planning on asking you what we should do after I get him a new suit. His current one is very old."

"Your call what to do with the trash," said Xanxus. He opened a bottle of wine and it was the guardians' cue to leave.

As they filed out of Xanxus' room, Lambo decided to ignore the fast beating of his heart by bringing up an interesting topic. "What do you guys think of Tsuna?"

Gokudera deadpanned, "He's a complete weakling. I'm surprised Xanxus didn't shoot him at first sight."

"He was pretty lanky." Ryohei agreed. "But he was extremely guarded earlier, which is good."

"Kufufu, he was trying so hard to act tough. It was rather cute," said Mukuro. "What do you think, Kyouya-kun?"

Hibari replied without looking at him. "You should have left your tongue in Italy." Lambo watched as Hibari went down instead of going back to his room. He shrugged it off, never having been able to understand that man.

As they landed on the third floor, Yamamoto asked, "Lambo, Ryohei, are you free tomorrow? Want to come with me and Tsuna? We're leaving after lunch."

Before Lambo could answer, Gokudera intervened. "Lambo," he winced at hearing his name; the only time Gokudera used it without any sound of irritation was when he was serious, "was incredibly obvious with Sawada earlier and you want him to come with you? I don't think so. Dame-Tsuna, really?"

Lambo bristled, but it was Yamamoto who responded. "You're overreacting. It's just a friendly insult."

"Yeah, out of all the insults out there, you give him the one he was most famous for." Gokudera scowled. "Stop babying the cow, Takeshi. He already is one. He's not even interested in fulfilling his job."

"I never wanted to be a guardian," spat Lambo. " _He_ forced me into this." The only reply he received was Mukuro humming and the sound of his footsteps leading back to his room.

"Sure keep saying that, you spoiled, lazy brat." Gokudera rolled his eyes. "You want to party with your ladies all day. Go ahead and don't return, just like –"

"That was too much, Gokudera," said Ryohei, moving to stand in front of Lambo. "It's been a long day. We should all go to bed. I'll come with you tomorrow, Yamamoto. Lambo?"

Lambo raised his chin defiantly and glared at Gokudera. "Might as well. With that, good night." He huffed and left the others.

\

The way his clothes uncomfortably clung to his skin woke Tsuna up. He scrunched his nose in disgust at the sweat he accumulated over his sleep and at forgetting to shower. Now that he didn't have Basil's eyes rushing him, he felt silly for not noticing there was an air conditioner at the top of the full-length window and that a white remote control sat on the desk. His hands roamed his bed for his clock, and he became annoyed at seeing it was only three in the morning. Four hours of sleep. Great.

Years of living with Reborn's quiet footsteps had honed his senses. He sat straight up at hearing soft sounds. Cautiously, he walked to the door and attempted looking outside using the half inch-wide gap below. It didn't help, however, as he only saw a pair of black shoes, which everyone wore, pass by from left to right – the direction of the staircase to their rooms.

He stilled. What were the guardians doing so late at night?

With the sounds stopping, he opened the door slightly and ended up opening it all the way when he saw an impassive Chrome leaning on the right side of the wall, just outside his early periphery.

"Why are you still up, Sawada-san?" asked Chrome, hands behind her as she crossed her ankles. She was still wearing her clothes from the dinner.

Embarrassed and shocked, he shakily stood up and stuttered, "I-I was already asleep but woke up from the heat."

Tilting her head, Chrome uncrossed her legs. "Is your air conditioner not working?"

"I was really tired earlier and passed out immediately, so I didn't manage to open it." _Why was she waiting here? Did she sense me?_ "What about you?"

"I see. I hope you have a good sleep this time, Sawada-san." Chrome entered her own room without as much as answering his question. Tsuna bit his lip and closed the door. He set the air conditioner on and let its buzzing put him back to sleep.

The next time he woke up was nine. With his mind clear of exhaustion, he went down to the floor on four limbs and crawled under the bed, searching for bugs or any form of listening devices. He lifted the mattress upon finding none, then headed to inspect all the furniture, the curtains, and lastly the shower room. Upon finding nothing, he released a long breath he didn't realise he had been holding. Living in the mansion already put him on edge, at the very least, he wanted to have a sanctuary he can seek after the day.

After showering and putting on a white button-up shirt and black trousers – the best substitute he had for a suit – he took his personal phone out and raised an eyebrow upon seeing a message from an unknown address. _"Danger. Don't use your phone."_

It was definitely Reborn. Tsuna chewed his fingernails and used his other hand to clench the locket dangling on his neck. His regular phone was given by Reborn when he gave him the mission, so only a handful of people knew how to contact him through it. When will they meet again and what was he supposed to do without Reborn's guidance? But he trusted Reborn and will leave contact between the two of them to him. For now, he'll observe the guardians at every opportunity he can get and try to see what operations they've been doing.

It was ten minutes to eleven when he stepped out of his room and he was surprised to see Lambo and Ryohei chatting in front of the staircase. They were both wearing the same suits, but their undershirts differed. Lambo and Ryohei wore green and yellow respectively. His mind flew back to the dinner and recalled blue for Yamamoto, indigo for Chrome and Mukuro, violet for Hibari, and red for Gokudera.

He wondered if there was a deeper meaning behind the colour scheme, or if it was merely preference. Basil's shirt was a plain white and Xanxus didn't wear a suit; instead, he had on a black coat which reached his knees, but this was justified as he was the boss.

"Good morning, Sawada. Let's have extreme fun with suit shopping!"

"O-okay." He found himself both nervous and pleased at the increased companions. He had an opportunity to observe several of them at the same time, but what he was more pleased about was that it wasn't the other four he deemed the most dangerous.

Yamamoto was leaving Xanxus' room by the time they stepped down onto the second floor. He immediately grinned at seeing them and waved a hand. Tsuna was about to smile back, but the door behind Yamamoto opening made him static.

He resisted the urge to shudder as Xanxus, who didn't even glance at him, brushed past them to head upstairs. He was listening attentively to the footsteps, wondering if Xanxus would go to the floors he was forbidden to, when Yamamoto slung an arm around him and said, "I asked lunch to be fixed at eleven. Let's go. I can't wait to see what the chefs cooked."

"Where are we going for today?" asked Tsuna as they all sat down in the dining room. With the sun beaming through the windows and only the friendliest guardians with him, he felt the atmosphere release its clutch from his heart.

"Vongola has a special designer in Namimori Square," said Yamamoto. "Afterwards, we'll see." Tsuna wasn't sure if he should be afraid at Yamamoto's ominous line, or if Yamamoto didn't have any plans ready for them.

Lambo scrunched his nose. "I don't like going there."

Despite his age, Lambo was still a guardian, and if a guardian didn't want to go to their destination, Tsuna could only widen his eyes in anxiousness. "May I ask why?"

"No, brat."

Being called a brat by someone who was seven years younger than him made him snort. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Lambo directed a smirk at him. Somehow, this kid was beginning to grow on him.

Or maybe he just saw him as the safest out of the seven.

\

Tsuna almost hyperventilated in the passenger's seat beside Ryohei at Yamamoto's question. They were in the same black car Yamamoto picked him up with.

"Lambo, do you want to drive?"

Lambo turned his head away, as if in disgust, and decided to ride shotgun. "Why would I?"

"Maa, it was worth a try."

Tsuna was thankful Yamamoto hopped in the driver's seat instead of the guy who wasn't legally allowed to drive yet. He asked, "L-Lambo, have you been driving long?"

"I got my licence last year." _He got his licence when he was fourteen?_ Tsuna's police instinct wanted to cry. If his circumstance was normal, he wouldn't hesitate to arrest him. "I don't want to drive, though. What's the point of that when there are people who can do that for me like Takeshi-nii?"

"Or you can just run like I do." Ryohei nodded. "You should join me some time, Sawada. We need to put muscles on you!"

He really didn't want to join whatever training regime Ryohei had planned. To his fortune, Yamamoto stopped the car and stepped out. They were parked at the back of a tall building. He didn't question anyone as the three walked to a destination he had no idea of.

They finally arrived in Namimori Square, a place buzzing with people as it was Sunday. Given no opportunity to analyse his surroundings, he was led in front of a luxurious three-story building with the line Lussuria's Flamingo calligraphed in cursive, romanised black ink on a white canvas.

The minimalist look of the sign starkly contrasted with the man named Lussuria, who greeted them as they entered. Wearing a red-rimmed pair of sunglasses and an open black trench coat with orange fur around the hood, his hair added colour to the already colourful man. He grimaced at how anyone could even think of a tri-coloured hair design like his: brown as the base, green hair parted to the side, and an orange mohawk. He idly caressed his own brown locks, feeling content at its simplicity.

"And who is this cutie with you today?" Tsuna jumped as Lussuria towered over him. Even with the singsong voice and outlandish outfit, Lussuria's height made him intimidating and the fact that he was wearing sunglasses made him unable to see what Lussuria's true emotions were.

Tsuna bowed. "Sawada Tsunayoshi. I am new to Vongola."

"He's the one we want to get a new suit for, Lussuria," said Yamamoto. "Could we get at least one for today?"

Lussuria hummed. "Don't underestimate me, Takeshi-chan. Let's get him a suit for each day of the week. I have so many plans for you, sweetheart. I'll give you a new uniform to replace your ugly, previous one. Let's see. How about this? I can adjust anything for you." He winked at Tsuna, who shrank to Yamamoto's side. Lussuria was holding a blue suit with glitters that covered the entire suit. Can't he get him a normal suit? "I have another – Oh, my! Lambo-chan, you're here."

"I-I'm leaving, bye!" Lambo rushed out of the store before anyone could react.

"Wait, I have clothes I want you to try on!" Lussuria ran out, and Tsuna assumed he was after Lambo. He stared wide eye at Yamamoto, who sheepishly laughed. So this was the reason Lambo didn't like this place. Vongola was proving to be weirder than he thought.

"Lambo doesn't go out often, so he might get lost. I'll go after them. Ryohei, can you take care of Tsuna for me?" Tsuna bit his lip at having to be taken care of. "I'll message you guys later." Yamamoto ran out, his long legs already carrying himself out of their sight.

Tsuna moved his focus on the other thing Yamamoto said. Lambo doesn't go out often, meaning his job made him stay at the mansion. The only thing he could think of as a job for Lambo was as a technician from what he knew of the mansion. But seeing how spoiled and childish he was, the image felt surreal.

"Lussuria-san stepped out?" He jolted at a girl's voice and turned around to see a brunette with hair tied to a pony tail, wearing a short-sleeved yellow button shirt and a white skirt cut above her knee. She must have had been influenced by Lussuria, because she paired her outfit with a large neon pink ribbon on her chest and on her hair. "I'm Miura Haru. Yamamoto-san also told me about your suit."

"Haru." Ryohei gave a curt nod and looked away. At this, Tsuna raised an eyebrow and shifted his gaze between the two, wondering what the tense atmosphere was for.

"Ryohei-san, it's been a while." Haru hesitantly smiled. Then her eyes went back to Tsuna and brightened, as if grateful for the distraction his existence proved to be. "Please step into the back room, so I can measure you. We have the suits ready; I just need to adjust it to your size."

Tsuna looked to Ryohei who made himself comfortable by leaning beside the store's entrance, deep in thought. He'll try to find out what exactly the relationship of these two were. He hastened to catch up with Haru, who disappeared behind the door at the end of the store.

In the room, Haru held a normal suit, much to his gratitude – just seeing Lussuria's gaudy suits made him shiver – and gave it to him. "Call me when you're done changing into this." She handed him the suit and stepped out.

The suit wasn't that big, only a few inches off his normal size. He lifted his new trousers a bit, as not to scrape it over the floor and opened the door. It was merely a couple of inches open when he heard Haru and Ryohei whispering, try as Ryohei might in that endeavour. The two were a few feet away from the door; if it weren't for Ryohei's normally loud voice, he wouldn't have been able to hear the only clear word out of their conversation: Kyoko.

He shifted his stance and pressed his ear to the open space the door provided, but he ended up slipping. The two whipped their head at his direction, and to save face, Tsuna sheepishly said, "I'm done, Miura-san."

Haru gave Ryohei a last look before heading back to the room, eyes travelling Tsuna's figure as she did so. "Seems there's not much adjustment to make, Tsuna-san." She lifted both his arms and circled the tape around one underarm to the other. "I can call you that, right? You can call me Haru. You sound so polite for someone in the scary Vongola."

He blinked as Haru placed the tape to his waist down to his ankle. "You're not in the Vongola?"

Haru bit her lip and glanced at him with eyebrows creased. It lasted for an instant as her forehead unfolded back to its natural state. "Only Lussuria-san is. I'm not." He had to strain his ear at her next words. "I would have like to be if it weren't for that guy."

Pretending he didn't hear the last part, he straightened his back as Haru measured his shoulders. "How long have you been working here, Haru?"

"Two years. We're done." She stood up and went back to her tool box.

That was fast, faster than the other seamstresses he had encountered. Tsuna smiled. "You seem very good at your job and young, too."

Haru giggled. "My, Tsuna-san. You sure know how to flatter a woman. I'm twenty-two." Her voice turned soft as she continued, "I used to take journalism in university, but when Lussuria-san agreed to hire me, I dropped out." Haru closed her tool box. "I'm going out to the front now. Join me when you're done changing."

They were of the same age and dropped out on the same year. _What a spooky coincidence_. Tsuna rushed to change into his own clothes, hoping to eavesdrop again on the two. Carefully, he opened the door but was disappointed when they weren't in a conversation. He went to stand in front of Haru, who was stationed behind the store's counter.

"I can finish your seven suits," Lussuria wasn't joking when he said he'll have a suit for each day, "by six tonight. I can do it faster, but we have an annoying customer with an urgent request." Haru puffed her cheeks.

Tsuna peeked at his watch. It was only one; they had five hours to kill time. He didn't answer, believing he wasn't in the position to do so.

"We'll come back to pick it up." Ryohei grinned and placed a hand on Tsuna's shoulder. "We can't leave the car here since Yamamoto has the keys. We should use this time to extremely bond."

Tsuna was beginning to dread each time Ryohei's grin and the word extreme were directed at him. He offered a wry smile as Ryohei led him outside.

"Sawada, you don't live in Namimori, right? I'll give you an extreme tour!"

"But you just said we can't leave the car here."

Ryohei blinked, lips slowly curving to a frown. "Right. I forgot."

Tsuna sweatdropped. _It hasn't even been more than two minutes!_ "We can tour the square, I guess? I don't know anything about Namimori." He smiled as he looked around the place.

Namimori Square was relatively small in comparison to Simon's, a huge town often bustling with people. But what Simon lacked was a fountain in the middle, which Tsuna was happy to catch a glimpse of in Namimori despite the throngs of people blocking his view. Lussuria's place, he surmised, seemed to be the most expensive place. He didn't have time to further his examination as Ryohei grabbed his wrist and started dragging him enthusiastically.

Turning at a much quieter stoned pathway, Ryohei said, "There's a bakery I want to show you. Their pastries are the best here; the others might ask you to buy them. They did that with the last new guy we had."

This was the second time he heard of the guy who came before him. Tsuna was about to inquire regarding this person when he heard a faint cry. Without hesitation, he broke off from Ryohei's grasp and listened carefully for another sound, eyes closed to focus his senses on his hearing. From the alley nearest to them, he heard a whimper and hustled towards the weak voice.

What greeted him were four teenagers clad in tank tops and jeans with holes, circling a timid-looking man in a suit who sat on the floor with clothes rumpled. An open suitcase with papers strewn lay lying a feet away from him. Tsuna glared at the teenagers and saw one of them holding a brown wallet.

Crossing his arms, he icily said, "What do you think are you doing to that man?" Tsuna was furious. It seemed the man was simply out for a break since a plastic with remnants of what seemed to be a sandwich was crushed beside him.

The one with the wallet waved the item and smiled at him, as if a happy child who received a gift. "You learn best from demonstration, don't you think?" He slowly walked towards Tsuna, humming a soothing tune in line with the man's heavy breathing.

In Simon, the neighbourhood he was stationed at was quiet, but it wasn't exempted from delinquent tendencies from several teenagers. So when the guy currently in front of him tried to punch him in the stomach – really, he thought, why was that always the first move? – he sidestepped and returned the favour lightly, cautious of the strength he exerted yet silently thanking Reborn for his training.

The guy staggered and blinked twice before growling at Tsuna, who tilted his head and frowned. He didn't want a fight. What he needed to do was put these teenagers in place and call their parents –

But this wasn't Simon and he wasn't in the best place to act as himself. His eyes widened at finally realising what he was doing. Distracted, he was about to receive a punch on his cheek when he was suddenly shoved away and the guy went flying back to his companions. Whirling around, he cowered as Ryohei stepped in front of him.

Vongola was bloodythirsty, savage, unforgiving. As much as Tsuna was angry at these teenagers, he will not allow Ryohei to beat them up senseless, or worse, kill them.

He swallowed all fear he held for the Vongola. He needed to save these youngsters. "Ryohei, we don't need to –"

But he was cut off. "Return his money and never do that again, or you will answer to me."

Tsuna couldn't see what Ryohei's expression was showing now. He clamped his mouth, astonished at the mercy Ryohei was showing. The other three were holding their now unconscious companion, eyes wide in shock at the monstrous arrival. Without any form of comeback, one of them threw a wad of bills on the floor and they all proceeded to run away.

Ryohei bent down and started picking up the papers; at this, Tsuna followed suit and helped, listening to Ryohei as he talked to the quivering man. "Hey, sorry we can't go to the police. Our situation doesn't allow it."

The man released a long breath and feebly smiled at him. "No, no. It's all right. I must thank you for saving me."

Tsuna handed the last sheet of paper to the man, ashamed he can't help any further. With a low bow, the man thanked them again and left, legs trembling as he exited the alleyway. Patting his trousers, he dusted off whatever dirt he managed to accumulate in the short brawl. He took his time straightening his back, because he knew he will face Ryohei sooner or later.

Ryohei didn't seem to be the type to wait. In a tone far softer than his normal one coupled with a faraway look in his eyes, he said, "You remind me of my sister."

His ears perked at his words, both in relief he wasn't in trouble and in curiosity. "Sister?"

As if that word was the trigger word out of a hypnosis, Ryohei broke out of his trance and grinned his normal grin. "Never mind. Let's go to the extreme bakery I was talking about!"

Their trip to the bakery was short-lived as the place was full of people. This didn't fetter Ryohei, however, because the next moment Tsuna knew, he was left alone in front of the store watching Ryohei drown and shout in the crowd. The street they were in was lively, and he smiled to himself, always glad to see and hear people in peace.

Something in his right pocket vibrated intensely. Confused at the foreign movement, he frisked his pocket, completely forgetting about his new phone, and saw a message from an unknown address. _"It might extremely take me long here! Wait for me in Lussuria's place."_

Even without a name, there was no doubt it was from Ryohei, but seeing as he never grabbed his address yet, the entire Vongola must know how to contact him through phone. It was rather unnerving to know he had to wait for them to make the first move instead of him.

He made his way back to Lussuria's Flamingo, trying to remember all the turns they did. Instead of going inside the designer's place, he opted to sit down on the fountain, pleased to see the crowd slightly thinning.

As people arrived and left, there was still no sign of Ryohei, but it was fine for him. A breather now and then doesn't hurt. In fact, he needed it as he still hadn't manage get used to the Vongola. It was three in the afternoon and all he could see were people happily chatting about. So when he saw, out of the corner of his vision, a man sit beside him, he wasn't the least bit surprised.

However, what happened next almost made him jump. "Ciaossu." Tsuna immediately straightened from his slouched position. "Don't panic and don't look at me, Tsuna."

 _Reborn, Reborn. Oh, my god, Reborn._ Where does he start? What will he say first? He was too happy to hear him that his thoughts had become garbled.

"Tsuna, keep it short. Anything important to report?"

"I-I–" Tsuna wheezed, attempting to calm the sudden charge of comfort in him. He was talking to Reborn. He was still alive even after coming to contact with Vongola. Slouching again, he rubbed his face with a hand, trying to make it seem like he was wiping sweat from the afternoon sun. Time wasn't looking favourably at them; he needed to be brief as possible, and then he realised he didn't have much yet. "Lambo has a driver's licence."

"They're criminals, Tsuna. It's normal for them to ignore the law. Anything actually useful?"

He couldn't believe how much he missed Reborn's sharp tongue. "Ryohei has a sister. Her name might be Kyoko. Do you think you can find something about her for me? And also a person named Miura Haru. She used to take journalism in a university two years ago."

Reborn flipped a page. "Until what time will you be here?"

"Six. I'm getting new suits."

"Anything else? Don't shake your head, you idiot."

Tsuna's head was already turned slightly to the right and he flushed at how obvious he was acting. "No," he muttered.

"I'll be back by five at the latest. Try to ask if you have a free hour every day. We need to discuss when can we meet."

He didn't manage to ask what was wrong with his phone as Reborn left without another word, and he relished the image of his father's back, standing proud and strong. Straightening his posture, he looked up to the sun and wistfully smiled. Dino's naturally blond hair had always been a target of teasing back as a kid. When Dino was in elementary, the other kids called him weird amidst the sea of black-haired Japanese people.

Tsuna disagreed, because Dino reminded him of the sun, not just because of his hair, but also because of his smile and personality. He was a kind, loving, exuberant – which often exhausted Tsuna – older brother. Closing his eyes, he mumbled, "Vongola will pay."

"Pay for what?"

He almost fell in the fountain at the voice. Turning to his left, he saw Ryohei carrying a brown bag filled to the brim with different pastries on one hand and another bread on the other. "U-u-uh, the suits. Yeah! The suits. I-I just realised I can't afford all those suits and was wondering if Vongola will pay for now until I can earn enough." Did he even have a salary for working for the group?

Ryohei laughed. "Don't be silly, Sawada. It's under Vongola. Want a bread?"

"Thank you." Eating should calm his nerves down. He took a bite of the round bread with confectioner's sugar padded at the top. The custard creme inside instantly melted in his mouth, and he released a groan of content.

"Yamamoto said they were on their way back. With Lussuria coming back, the suits might be done faster, is what he said." Tsuna hoped they would take their time because he didn't want to miss Reborn.

"Now, Sawada, moving to the more important issue." At Ryohei's serious voice, Tsuna froze and completely assumed he was going to be scolded for the earlier scene, or for other things he needed to be rebuked for. He was in the process of combing his memory, when Ryohei spoke again. "We need to put more meat on you."

\

It was four-thirty by the time Yamamoto came back with a grumbling Lambo, whose suit was long gone and replaced with a spotted bright green shirt along a red pair of elephant pants. A squealing Lussuria, who was carrying five or six paper bags full of clothes, was busy gushing about the clothing he bought for Lambo. They all headed back to Lussuria's shop, with only Ryohei patting Lambo on the back as a means of comfort. Tsuna decided to show his pity with a light pat on Lambo's shoulder.

Lambo hissed, "He also likes you, you know. Just wait until it's your turn."

"If it helps, I spent more than an hour listening to Ryohei about his training regime," offered Tsuna. Lambo relaxed at his words, apparently subjected numerous times to Ryohei's lectures.

Tsuna was glad they didn't return earlier. He just needed to stall for thirty minutes more. Lussuria had headed to the back room to help Haru, leaving him alone with the three guardians.

"What did you do while we were gone?" asked Yamamoto.

"We went to the bakery. I bought Mukuro's favourite chocolate buns. Also, Sawada has decided to join me in my training!"

Tsuna protested. "W-wait a minute, Ryohei. I didn't say anything about that!" _More like you didn't give me a chance to talk! And why didn't he mention the alleyway scene?_

"Don't be shy, Sawada, or do you have other plans in mind?"

Was he being gauged for information again? Tsuna shook his head. "Yamamoto might have something planned for me, is all I'm saying."

Yamamoto chuckled. "You're not allowed to be alone for missions, but you can do whatever you want when you don't have one. So feel free to do what you used to normally do." That solved Tsuna's problem with meeting Reborn. He suppressed a grin, ecstatic to know there won't be any more hindrances. "But make sure you tell me before you go out of the mansion in case Xanxus wants us to do something, and you need to come back immediately if any of the guardians message you to do so."

Tsuna firmly replied, "I understand."

He wasn't fond of the dark way Lambo chuckled. "This will be fun. I can order him to do anything."

"Don't be like that." Yamamoto chided. "Basil is already kind enough to prepare your bath for you whenever you want to take it in the middle of the night, and he's not a butler."

Now that he mentioned it, Tsuna realised he didn't see a butler when he arrived, only the chefs from lunch earlier. He dared to ask, "The mansion is large. You don't have butlers?"

"We do now." Lambo closed his right eye and stared at him.

"Huh?" _Oh._ Lambo was talking about him. _This cheeky brat._

"We have a handful," said Yamamoto. "We don't allow them to stay in the mansion. The same goes to the chefs. They work in shifts, but there should be someone working from six in the morning to ten in the evening, and even when they're here, they're kept under surveillance."

"Xanxus is always demanding something random regardless of the time," said Lambo. "He has a personal slave called Leviathan. You can be mine, Tsuna."

Yamamoto continued, sounding apologetic. "If you get hungry or need something by the time they're gone, you need to do it yourself."

Tsuna nodded. For having tight security, they were lax with him who's new to their group, but that also meant they were confident they can stop him whatever his agenda might be.

"Where's my takoyaki, Ryohei-nii? I don't see it anywhere. You only bought Mukuro's bread, and you think he'll be happy with this small amount?" Lambo complained, bordering on a whine. Tsuna noted the absence of the suffix in Mukuro and Gokudera's name, and mulled over how close these guardians actually were.

"I actually bought some but ended up eating them on the way back." Ryohei grinned, ignoring Lambo's scowl. "Don't be sad, we can go buy them now. Do you want anything, Yamamoto?"

Yamamoto shook his head and said, "None, but thanks. I want to go somewhere before we head back, though. Will you be all right here alone, Tsuna?"

Of course Tsuna was fine. He would probably be finer if they didn't come back. With a nod he hoped didn't show his eagerness at them leaving, he said, "I'll be fine."

He waited for a few minutes to pass by after the others stepped out before he went out himself. It was five minutes past five when he sat down again on the fountain, facing the store in case the others returned. The crowd had thoroughly thinned out by now, but there was still a considerable number of people hanging around, of which most were couples.

Reborn arrived in which shouldn't be more than three minutes yet felt like an eternity to Tsuna. Instead of sitting beside him like earlier, Reborn kept walking, much to his confusion. Debating whether to follow him or not, his question was answered when Reborn paused, the only signal he needed – because Reborn was a confident man who never needed a moment of hesitation.

They didn't go far as Reborn entered the nearest alleyway they encountered. Swiftly, Reborn handed him a folder hidden in his newspaper. "This is what I got about those two. Read it as fast as you can. I can't allow you to keep information this valuable on you."

He opened the folder with shaking fingers and was greeted with a picture of Haru. The first thing that captured his interest was that Haru attended Tokyo University. With such a prestigious school, he puzzled over why she decided to drop out two years ago. Perhaps the opportunity Lussuria gave her was the turning point she needed. According to the paper, while Haru was the top student from elementary to high school, her dream had always been to be a designer.

The next thing that grabbed his attention was that Haru was part of a ballet club in high school, where she met her best friend Sasagawa Kyoko. With nothing else new to offer him aside from Haru living alone in Namimori, he flipped to the next page and was met by a portrait of a beautiful girl with short orange hair wearing a beige blouse and a pink cardigan. It was Sasagawa Kyoko, but the kanji characters used for the last name was different from Ryohei's. This must be why they didn't manage to relate her with him at first amidst the amount of Sasagawa in Japan, adding Vongola's topnotch security and the lack of similarity in physical features with the siblings.

Kyoko was an academic achiever who easily managed to retain her scholarship and had a great reputation amongst peers and teachers. In her middle school and high school years, she did ballet and was part of the student council. Tsuna snorted. The only resemblance he could see in her and him was the absence of parents: the Sasagawa siblings lost their parents when they were both young. They were passed to relatives, until Ryohei finished high school while balancing part-time jobs. Ryohei didn't pursue university in favour of getting a job to fully support Kyoko. He went to the next page and almost dropped the folder.

After high school, Kyoko applied for the police academy and successfully graduated. There was a group picture of Ryohei in a white shirt, Haru in casual clothing – vastly different from the extravagant outfit she wore today – and Kyoko in her police uniform.

Lussuria's words came echoing to him and his palms started becoming sweaty.

 _I'll give you a new uniform to replace your ugly, previous one._

He didn't realise it and berated himself for being easily distracted by the hideous suit Lussuria showed him. Not once had Tsuna mentioned a uniform of any sort, and what he was wearing today didn't in any way appear to be a uniform. Then Lambo's suspicious actions, which he first shrugged off as coincidences: immediately bringing up cops, calling him Dame-Tsuna. Finally, Ryohei's words.

This was the resemblance. They were both cops.

Vongola was toying him.

"Finish reading before you panic," said Reborn calmly.

Gulping, he heeded Reborn's advice and flipped to the last page. Eyes bulging at the text, he looked at Reborn in bewilderment who was looking at him grimly.

Kyoko became missing in action after a case involving Vongola two years ago, but she was officially listed as dead in the database. It was the same year he and Haru dropped out, the same year Dino was killed.

"R-Reborn," he pathetically whispered, legs giving up on him at all the information he's still trying to absorb. "W-what's happening? Reborn, they know I work with the police. I'm – shit, Reborn. They know." Kyoko, a policewoman, becoming missing with the Vongola involved already decided what his fate will be if he continued to stay in the famiglia.

"How confident are you that they know?"

"A hundred and twenty percent."

"But you're still alive, Tsuna. What do you think that means?" Reborn took the folder away from him.

"They're making a fool out of me or," Tsuna paused, "they want something from me."

"What does your intuition say?"

He wasn't sure if he was being stupid or hopeful as he whispered, "The latter."

"Did you ask when you're free?"

"Apparently I can go out anytime I want, except if I have a mission or if I get called by any of the guardians. Should we set a schedule on when to meet?" He closed his eyes. _Please say yes. I need you so much, Reborn._

Reborn tapped his foot on the concrete and on Tsuna's heart, a sign that what he said was wrong. "No, it's too dangerous to make a pattern. Which reminds me, give me the phone I gave you. It seems Vongola managed to hack Colonello's despite the added security Giannini put in it."

Tsuna handed him the phone but instinctively tightened his hold once Reborn touched it. No phone meant he had no way to contact Reborn, and now with Vongola knowing who he was, he didn't want to give up the only thing that made him secure.

Reborn must have sensed his fear. "Don't show me such a pathetic look, Tsuna." He finally managed to get the phone. "By default I'll be in Namimori Square. You don't have to come every day, just come when you have important things to report or if you need anything. Does that satisfy you?"

He wasn't satisfied. "What about your job as police chief?"

"That's irrelevant. You are my priority." Reborn placed a hand on Tsuna's head, a gesture that lasted for a second. Tsuna didn't have time to fawn at Reborn's words and actions, as the next words came rushing out. "You need to go _now_. You've been gone too long."

He numbly nodded and went out of the alley, and Reborn went to the other direction without looking back to him. He had grew up barely seeing Reborn and thus there were times he hated the image of Reborn's back. Sometimes it stood proud and strong like earlier; sometimes it was lonely, like a back that had already carried so much.

Mindlessly, he returned to Lussuria's shop and found Lambo outside eating takoyaki.

Lambo shrugged. "They're inside. Lussuria didn't want the shop to smell. Where did you go?"

"Just around. I didn't see much of the square earlier with Ryohei being," a pause, "Ryohei."

Nodding in understanding, Lambo took another takoyaki in his mouth. "Great first day, huh?"

"Well, I wasn't sure what to expect anyway. How was yours?" prompted Tsuna.

Lambo stilled for a second then said, "I can't remember."

Noticing his companion's stiff shoulders, Tsuna decided to drop the subject and tried pacifying his own screaming heart. When the other two stepped out of the shop carrying his suits, he willed his feet not to run away.

\

Tsuna pretended to be heavy-eyed on the way back to the mansion, attributing his tiredness to how early he had to wake up. But he simply was not in the mood to talk to any of the Vongola, afraid he might start breaking down.

With suits in both arms and anxiety dancing in front of him, he asked if dinner can be sent to his room instead. None of the three questioned his decision, and Yamamoto told him it was fine and to grab hours of sleep. At a butler approaching him with open palms, he politely shook his head at the offered help. He wanted, needed to be alone.

He hanged his suits in the armoire and buried his face in one of the pillows, wanting to cry or shout or scream. It was only his first official day and he was already on the verge of succumbing to his constantly growing fear. He had thought he came to terms about the possibility of him dying before accepting the mission, but seeing the picture of Kyoko – a young, noble woman – disappearing with apparent ease on the Vongola's part made him reconsider.

 _Dino-san, I'm so scared._ He hugged the pillow, recalling Dino's soft chuckles as he attempted to calm Tsuna from his nightmares, or Dino's tight hold over him as they watched a horror film on the sofa, an orange wool blanket shared between them, with the bucket of popcorn silently lying on the floor acting as the sole thing unruffled in the room.

He rubbed his locket. The only things pushing him forward now were anger and Dino.


End file.
